The study found that 11 percent of U.S. adults own a tablet, and 53 percent of them read news everyday on the device. In general, they love their tablets — 77 percent use them daily.

But only 14 percent say they have paid for news on their tablets. And those who have not are reluctant to start. From the study:

The revenue potential for news on the tablet may be limited. At this point just 14% of tablet news users have paid directly to access news on their tablet. Another 23% get digital access of some kind through a print newspaper or magazine subscription. Still, cost is a factor, even among this heavy news consuming population. Of those who haven’t paid directly, just 21% say they would be willing to spend $5 per month if that were the only way to access their favorite source on the tablet. And of those who have news apps, fully 83% say that being free or low cost was a major factor in their decision about what to download.

Other interesting findings from the study:

• Surprisingly, apps are not the primary way many tablet users read news. Only 21 percent said they mostly use apps, while 40 percent said they mostly use the tablet’s browser. 31 percent said they use both equally, though 8 percent said they didn’t know how they were accessing news.

• 30 percent of tablet users say they spend more time reading news, while 65 percent say they spend about the same amount of time. Most users prefer well-known news brands, but a third say they have found new sources of information through their tablets.

• Reading news is the second most popular activity on a tablet, behind email. No. 3 is accessing social networks, followed by games, reading books and then watching video.

• As you’d expect, tablet users are better educated, have higher incomes and are more apt to be employed full-time. But they aren’t necessarily young. Only 22 percent of tablet users are between 18-29 years old, and the biggest cluster falls in the 30-49 age group.

• In general, tablet users are heavy consumers of news. While 56 percent of the general population say they follow news “all the time,” 68 percent of tablet users categorize themselves that way. And 71 percent of tablet users say they prefer reading or listening to news rather than watching it on TV, compared to 45 percent of the general population.

• In terms of news consumption, the tablet has indeed replaced traditional computers. A whopping 79 percent of tablet users say they reading news they used to get on a desktop or notebook computer. 59 percent say it replaces print news products, and 57 percent say it replaces TV.

The entire study is fascinating, particularly when you consider that the iPad (the device that started the tablet revolution) only has been available for 18 months. You can read the full report here, and see the findings as a slideshow or as a one-page infographic. You can also download the report as a PDF.

If you own a tablet, has it changed the way you consume news? Are you aware that the Houston Chronicle now has its own iPad app?